many teenagers do.’
PC Page looks at me. ‘I would have thought something of the magnitude of her sister dying would have meant you’d stay in touch.’
I’m silent for a moment. ‘If we’d stayed at the same school, I’m sure we would have.’ Leaving out what I want to say, that it was directly because of Kimberley’s death, then my parents sending me away, that we didn’t drift apart, our friendship was severed.
*
‘We need to try to trace her.’ I’m aware of their eyes scrutinising me. ‘You genuinely don’t know why the writer of the letter insists there’s something you know about Kimberley’s death?’
I shake my head. ‘I’ve no idea.’
Neither of them comments. Then as they get up, just as I think the interview is over, PC Page stops and turns to look at me. ‘It really is the most bizarre coincidence that all this took place in the house where Ms Reid now lives.’
Not wanting to pursue this line of conversation, I just nod, wondering if she believes in coincidence, because I don’t. The timing of the anonymous letter is sinister, as well as far too inconvenient to put down solely to chance.
*
As I drive away, my sense of relief is temporary. If they question me again, there’s only one plausible option. I’m going to have to come clean, and tell them exactly what happened. That Emily was jealous of her sister, that she’d tried to make a remedy to break her and her boyfriend up, that went disastrously wrong. I imagine their questions. Ms Rose, can you explain why you didn’t tell us about this?
Making my way through the centre of Brighton, around me the streets are busy, stirred into life by the bright sunshine, people hurrying to and from work, or to the shops and bars. When I first moved here, I imagined staying for years, but already I’m thinking about moving away, maybe changing my name. Leaving the past in the past, for good.
Going on experience, I don’t suppose it will be long before the police are back in touch. There will be someone, somewhere, who will remember the family that was devastated by a death that should never have happened. Records of ownership of the house. It had been an error on my part not to tell them.
The more I think about Matt, the more certain I feel about what transpired that last night. After he left my flat, the taxi dropping him back at Amy’s, he told her he was leaving her. A red mist would have fallen over her eyes as she overreacted, became furious, raging angrily as she lost control. She could have stabbed him, then he tried to get away. Maybe even drive away, desperate to get away from her. I haven’t heard anything about his car.
Parking close to the office, I sit there for a moment. There’s a sense of control sliding out of my grasp, of time slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. Knowing the police will be making enquiries into Emily’s whereabouts, there’ll be more questions. But this time, I have to be ready for them.
Jess
As we drive away from the custody centre, my head is filled with a tornado of thoughts – about my mother, Matt, how they met, why they met. What reasons Matt could have for trying to hurt her.
Cath’s friend Zoe lives in a quiet street off Dyke Road, by chance not far from where Amy is being held. By the time we get there, it’s almost dark, glimmers of light coming from behind closed curtains, where normal lives exist, undisrupted by police investigations. But as I know, appearances give nothing away about what’s inside. As we reach Cath’s friend’s house, parking right outside, I climb out, feeling myself shiver as the first spots of rain start to fall.
‘Let’s get out of this.’ Beside me, Cath is carrying the overnight bags I’d completely forgotten about. Taking mine from her, I follow her up the steps to the front door, then as she rings the bell, a light comes on inside.
‘Cath!’ The woman who opens the door has dark hair and warm eyes. Leaning forward, she hugs Cath. Then she looks at me. ‘You must be Jess. I’m Zoe. Welcome. Come in, it’s so cold out there. You’ve had a long day, haven’t you?’
I nod, then think of Cath, whose day started in Bristol. ‘Cath’s has been longer.’
We follow Zoe along a light hallway into her kitchen. ‘Come through. It’s just us tonight. Nick